She pulled her lip between her teeth, chewing on it. ‘What makes you think I’m not thinking about my date?’
‘Because you haven’t mentioned his name in the last ten minutes.’
‘You’ve been talking non-stop for the last ten minutes. I haven’t had a chance to form a thought.’
Her sass made Sam laugh. ‘If you were really into him you wouldn’t be sitting here flirting with me.’
‘What makes you say that? A little flirting is harmless, isn’t it? It doesn’t mean anything, not really. Just a way to pass the afternoon.’
Her denial made his hands curl into fists. Of course flirting meant something, or at least it did right then
. ‘I can’t imagine you flirting with that guy next door like this.’
Her lips curled up. ‘You think I won’t? He’s handsome, he’s funny, and he speaks with the most glorious Italian accent. And he’s rich. There’s that, too.’
‘I’m rich.’
That made her laugh loudly. Her body shook as she chuckled, until Sam found himself joining in. ‘Hey, I can do an Italian accent, too.’ He said it with a New Jersey twang.
‘And you’re funny, don’t forget that.’
He flashed her a sour smile. ‘It’s just the handsome thing, then. He wins.’
‘Oh, as if you don’t know how pretty you are,’ she scoffed. ‘You’re the face that launched a thousand teenage fantasies.’
It was his turn to sneer. ‘Oh come on.’
‘Don’t try to deny it, pretty boy. I’ve heard about the MTV awards.’
He grimaced. ‘The less said about that, the better. And anyway, who wants to be pretty? It’s not exactly masculine, is it?’
‘What would you rather be? Handsome, beautiful, drop-dead gorgeous? I can use those if you like. Either way, you’re a good-looking bastard and you know it.’
‘They’re only looks.’
‘Easy to say when you have them.’
‘Well you’re not exactly hard on the eye,’ he told her. ‘After all, Don Juan next door has asked you out on a second date.’
‘It’s not exactly a date.’ Her eyes narrowed. ‘Anyway, why do you care so much?’
‘About what?’ He sat back, feeling like he was being found out.
‘About whether I go out on a date or not.’
‘I don’t care.’ He shrugged, feigning nonchalance. ‘I just don’t want to see you getting taken advantage of.’
‘So you offer to tie me up instead?’ She looked up at him. ‘Because that’s not taking advantage of me at all.’
‘I’m not going to tie you up,’ he said quietly, though the image in his brain was still too alluring to ignore. ‘I only want you to be safe.’
Lies, all lies, and he knew it. Cesca probably knew it, too. It wasn’t protectiveness that was making him want to grab her and hide her away. More an intense jealousy that made him want to curl up beside her and hold her until the night was out.
‘I will be safe, honestly.’ She gave him a reassuring smile. ‘It’s only a night out. I’ll probably be back before midnight.’
Sam nodded, but the movement was tight. So she was going on the date, regardless of how he felt. The stupid thing was, he couldn’t blame her. She’d already told him he was blowing hot and cold, like some kind of out-of-control air-con system, and their conversation now had only underscored her point.
He liked her. Christ, he liked her, but he hated himself for doing so. He was like a schoolboy, pulling pigtails, afraid to put himself out there. What was wrong with him?